


Always Tomorrow

by Liv_andletdie



Category: The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986), The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: 1920's AU, Depends how you read it, F/M, It's only very slight zelink, it was so difficult not to write, well excuuuuuse me princess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 14:19:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9328544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liv_andletdie/pseuds/Liv_andletdie
Summary: A short drabble to get back into writing. Based off of Lightsintheskye's amazing Ocarina of Time 1920's Zelda AULink comes back from a meeting with Ganondorf, only to be met with bad weather and a bad tempered heiress.





	

There she was. Sitting perfectly and elegantly in front of the fire, the warm red light casting shadows on her soft features. She was still and impassive like a figure carved from marble. Link was scared to step into the room lest he break her fierce concentration. She seemed to be staring out at the rain falling against the cold glass of the window, lost in thoughts no one but her could decipher. 

The winters were getting harsher in Castle Town, but thankfully it hadn’t snowed yet. Though Link knew the colder weather was on it’s way. Any day now he could get lost in the piles of snow that would swallow the roads and sidewalks in a thick white blanket. He would have to remember to take a coat with him. Zelda would kill him if he were to freeze to death. She needed him, she’d said so herself. He was her man on the inside, he couldn’t let himself get killed. 

And yet, he wondered, would death be preferable. He wanted to avoid seeing her disappointed face for as long as he could. 

Cautiously he stepped further into the room, careful to avoid the ornate rugs on the floor. While it hadn’t been snowing it had been raining. Link hadn’t thought to take an umbrella with him when he went out and was now soaked to the bone. 

The creaking of the shutting door brought Zelda’s attention towards him. Her crystalline blue eyes sparkling in the dim room. He watched as her face changed from one of intense concentration to calculated caring. She stood up sharply her dress sparkling in the firelight. 

“Link! Thank the goddesses you’re alright” Her voice was like music. He stood transfixed as she took a step forward, the look in her eyes becoming sad at his soaked, shivering, state.  
“You went out without an umbrella” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation and the words sunk into Link like a knife. He looked down at his shoes ignoring how the freezing rainwater dripped down his neck. 

“Forgot” was his only response. He heard her sigh and could envision her disappointed face. He could hear her soft footsteps as he walked across the room towards him. He kept his head down focusing on the growing puddle of water that was pooling around his feet. Any second now she would berate him, tell him how stupid he was for going out in the rain. He braced himself for the impact of her words. 

Instead he felt her soft gloved fingers carefully tip his chin towards her. The warmth of her hand causing a blush to spread across his chilled cheeks. He raised his eyes to meet her, slowly taking in her features. From her soft pink lips to the round apples of her face, the arch of her perfectly plucked eyebrow to the slope of her pointed nose, finally landing on her breathtaking blue eyes. 

He fought against the urge to gasp when he noticed how close she was to him. If he were to tilt his head forward, just a little, he could capture those soft lips with his own- No. No thinking like that was ridiculous. She was Zelda Nohansen, the daughter of Hyrule’s prestigious mayor and shining star of the stage. He was no one, a mechanic who worked for her father. To think she would spare him any time was just ridiculous. 

Link decided that she mustn’t have noticed their proximity. 

Her blue eyes became unreadable as she moved her fingers from his chin to his arm.  
“You must be freezing” Link pretended that she cared and nodded in response. A small smile grazed her lips as she trailed her hand down his arm to his frozen fingers. 

Link hoped that the cold would disguise the blush that was spreading to his long ears. He tried to control his breathing as she pulled on his hand slightly, leading him towards the fire.  
“You’ll warm up here, I’ll get a towel make yourself comfortable” Link did as he was told,settling lightly on the expensive sofa. He shivered at the stark temperature change, the fire burning as he stretched his feet. 

The ache in his side made itself known once more as he reached forwards to warm his hands. He winced sharply drawing himself back to cope with the pain. He shouldn’t have spoken out of turn, especially not in front of Ganondorf. He hadn’t been able to hold it back. He wouldn’t hold it back. 

Ganondorf had said something about The Mayor. Link couldn’t really remember what had happened after that. He remembered fists flying and the feel of a steel capped boot slamming into his side. Hair being pulled and his arm twisted around his back. The smell of Ganondorf’s breath, tinged with the stench of tobacco and cheap moonshine from one of the many illegal speakeasies around the city. 

He remembered being pushed up against the wall, a meaty fist wrapped tightly around his neck, the taste of blood filling in his mouth. Ganondorf’s eyes boring into his, the shining golden irises almost pulsing with anger. 

“If you ever step out of line again” he had snarled “I’m gonna put a bullet through your skull, right here!” 

The feeling of Ganondorf’s finger pressed against his skull, his throat being squeezed so tight that he couldn’t breathe, wasn’t something he was going to forget any time soon. 

Luckily the freezing cold of the rain had dulled his pain as he made the sorry trek back to the Hyrule Hotel where Zelda was staying. He had almost forgotten about the whole ordeal when he saw her sitting by the fire. But now it all came back to him, along with the sharp pain of the heavy bruises. 

“I found some extra blankets as well to warm you up” 

Link was torn from his thoughts as Zelda walked back into the room, a mound of soft wool in her arms, threatening to topple her. He stood up to help, biting back at wince at the pain that shot up his left ankle. A wince that did not go unnoticed by the heiress. Her features turned sharp as she dropped the blankets on the floor.  
“Sit down” she ordered, her voice tinged with something he couldn’t read. Was it… worry?  
“But”  
“Sit down Link” Her features remained sharp as she turned to leave the room once more. Link eased himself back onto the furniture and waited for her to come back. No doubt she was angry at him, he was an idiot, he should have kept his stupid mouth shut! He’d probably blown the whole thing. 

He could hear Zelda rummaging around the cupboards in the bathroom. She was muttering to himself, he couldn’t make out the words. It felt weird, sitting and waiting for her. Normally she was the one doing the waiting. She waited for him to fix her car, waited for him to bring her flowers after her shows, waited for him while he was with Ganondorf’s gang. To be the one, frozen in apprehension, was a new feeling that he wasn’t sure he liked. 

She was taking too long, he decided. He wished he could get up and help her find what she was looking for because she would probably kill him if he moved from the sofa. 

Finally the muttering and the clattering stopped and Zelda reappeared with a small red case. She said nothing as she made her way towards him. He watched as she picked up one of the blankets she’d carelessly cast on the floor before. Before he could react she was rubbing his hair gently in an attempt to dry it. 

The soft blanket was dropped to the side and he saw her perched next to him. Uncomfortably close. He swallowed as she traced her fingers over his shirt, still cold and wet from the rain. Her fingers reached his side and her frown seemed to deepen. 

“W-what?” he asked as she began to rifle through the red bag she’d brought in. She pulled out a bandage, glaring at it for a second before turning her attention to the buttons on his shirt.  
“I’ll need to take your shirt off” was her only response. Link could feel the heat rising, warming his frozen bones. His eyes widened in something akin to fear. Surely she wasn’t serious, he wasn’t hurt that badly was he? 

As if sensing his unspoken question Zelda turned her head to the fire. The red glow of the flames setting her hair alight. The warmth turning her cheeks a light pink. She was beautiful. 

“You’ve been hurt, I need to take your shirt off so I can assess the damage” 

The statement hung in the air. Zelda waiting for his permission, Link waiting for the rapid beating of his heart to slow down. An age seemed to pass before either of them said anything. 

“..o-okay” 

Zelda seemed to tense at his response. Her back becoming straight, her eyes fixed on the fire in front of them, the flames dancing in her eyes. Link began to unbutton his collar working his way down to his stomach. The red of the flames seemed to reflect strongly on the woman sitting next to him, casting her face in a stunning ruby glow. 

Once he’d finished with the buttons, he moved to pull his suspenders down his shoulders, terrified of anyone (especially Impa) walking in on the two of them at this moment. Zelda sat still as if waiting for his cue for her to start working. The bandages she’d pulled out before were being wrapped slowly around her fingers, and then unwound. It was an unconscious habit that she had. When she was lost in thought, she would play with the rings on her fingers or the edges of the gloves at her wrists. It was calming to watch her methodically wrap and unwrap the linen. Her fingers moving as fast as her thoughts. 

Knowing that he was only delaying the inevitable by watching her he grunted slightly to get her attention. Her hands stopped moving and she slowly turned towards him, her eyes cast down. Link watched transfixed as her cheeks went from pink to red, her hands shaking as she trailed her hand back to his side once more. He bit his lip at the pain, dimly registering the feel of her ungloved hands cleaning the blood away, her fingers leaving trails of fire in their wake.

Dongo must have kicked him harder than he thought. 

The two worked in silence, Zelda cleaning the broken skin at his ribs, Link moving only when she instructed him too. Once the wound was clean she began to wind the stiff linen around his midsection. It was slow going, the silence making the moment heavier. 

After what seemed like an age Zelda tied a knot in the bandage, holding it in place.  
“You can put your shirt back on” She muttered turning to stare out at the heavy falling rain. Link re-dressed as quickly as he could, ignoring the newfound tightness of the bandage wrapped around his stomach. He kept himself focused on his task of trying to fit the small buttons into the respective places, his hands shivering with something other than the cold. He didn’t notice Zelda leave his side. 

She had moved to stand by the window, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The lights from outside casting a dim light on her face, hiding her in shadow. Link remained on the plush sofa, the cold fabric of his shirt stinging his warm skin. He desperately wanted to say something to her, to figure out if she was mad at him or not. Sadly he had never been any good with words. 

Zelda seemed to reach a conclusion in her thoughts and pulled the blanket tighter around her, turning to look at him once again. Link felt his heart sink at her unreadable expression. 

She was disappointed in him.

“Did you find out anything new?” Where the only words out of her lips. Not what had happened to him, why he was hurt, who had hurt him. She only wanted to know what he knew. She only ever always wanted to know what he knew. 

Link shook his head watching as disappointment coloured her eyes. She tried to cover it with a smile. Her lips pulling back to reveal her shining white teeth.  
“Oh well” she breathed, tugging the blanket once more. “There’s always tomorrow” 

There’s always tomorrow. Link’s heart stopped at the thought. Another day, another meeting with Ganondorf Dragmire, another chance to get himself killed! 

No.

No he didn’t want to do it. He’d agreed to help out Zelda before because he had wanted to help her. The Nohansen’s had been kind to him. They had taken him in and given him a job. He had wanted to help Zelda no matter what but now… 

Was it worth it? Was it worth the aching muscles and the countless bruises? The never ending fear of being found out? The constant feeling of being watched? The sleepless nights fearing for not only his life but hers as well?! 

One look at her fake smile gave him his answer. 

Yes. 

No matter how fake her smile, how hollow her words, he had decided a long time ago that he would help her. A decision he wasn’t going to back out of now. After all... he was in lo- No. Better to keep thoughts like that out of his head. Zelda was his friend.

He cast his eyes back to the floor reaching for his own blanket to wrap around himself. The patterns on the rug seemed to dance and hypnotize him as he breathed in. 

“Always tomorrow” he mumbled, seeing her smile fall slightly out of the corner of his eye.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the AU this is based off of at http://lightsintheskye.tumblr.com/tagged/1920s%20zelda


End file.
